October 3, Saturday the kick off day will feature a full line-up of exciting and FREE events running from 2 PM to 6 PM at the Contemporary Art Museum in Saint Louis. This day is designed to allow the community to play and benefit from the presence of so many national stars, so if you're in striking distance of Saint Louis, take your chance. The day will begin with defending champion Anna Zatonskih playing a five-board blindfold simultaneous exhibition.

Join in the action yourself by signing up for a bounty blitz tournament. All of the players except for Zatonskih (who will be tied up with blindfold) will be playing in the blitz. And they'll all have a bounty on their heads- if you win a game against any of the nine contenders, you'll get a free membership to the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and a board signed by all the participants. Details including round times and further prizes will be announced closer to the date, but expect the bounty blitz to start at around 2:30 and get there early for registration.

Finally, on October 14, the night after the tournament, witness a unique contest of chess and chance as the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Champion, crowned just a day before, will face off against a special guest. This event will take place at the Kemper Museum in Washington University.